Moorings in Durham coast and Tees Bay

This stretch of the North Sea coast runs from Seaham in County Durham south past Hartlepool to the mouth of the River Tees. The Tees is a busy commercial river, and Durham coast and Tees Bay moorings are concentrated in the gated marina at Seaham and the locked marina at Hartlepool, with a non-tidal reach of river above the Tees Barrage reached through a lock.

Seaham Harbour Marina, in the town's North Dock about five miles south of Sunderland, has pontoon berths behind an automatic dock gate that holds water in the marina at low tide. The gate is open for at least three hours either side of high water, and visiting boats are taken up to 10 metres long and 1.8 metres draught, so it suits smaller boats.

Hartlepool Marina is entered through a sea lock controlled by traffic lights, and the marina is staffed 24 hours a day. The lock closes for an hour either side of low water, so boats should check the best arrival time for their draught with the lock office.

The lower Tees is home to Teesport, one of the largest ports in the United Kingdom, and the river below the Tees Barrage is the responsibility of the port authority, PD Ports. The barrage has a lock for small craft, booked in advance, and above it the Canal & River Trust looks after the river past Stockton-on-Tees and Yarm up to Worsall. The water above the barrage is held at about the level of an average high tide, so boats kept here can reach both the sea and a sheltered inland river.